“I think in terms of identity I'd always dullened any differences ... because I guess I grew up in a community where I felt like the more different you were, the more disadvantaged you were. And, of course ... that is super problematic and there's so much internalized ... power and hierarchy within that kind of thinking.”
Roxanne Ma graduated from UTSC in 2015 with a BA in International Development Studies. Born and raised in Ottawa by parents from Hong Kong, she reflects on her experience coming to UTSC and her five years as a student leader on campus. She highlights her involvement with the Women and Trans* Centre and eight-month co-op placement in Malawi, and describes how those experiences helped her unpack and shape her personal identity politics.
There is so much internalized power and hierarchy in this kind of thinking
That's when I discovered how passionate I can be
It's all part of the beauty
Interview Participant: Roxanne Ma
Interviewer: Sahra Togone
Location: UTSC campus
Photographer: Ken Jones
Date of Interview: June 9, 2015
To hear the full audio of the oral history interviews visit: Scarborough Oral History Project